Argentina

On April 13th a provincial court of Neuquén, in the Argentine Patagonia, will determine the charges for which traditional authorities of the Mapuche people who defended their territory against the exploitation of hydrocarbons will be brought to trial. […]

People with links to Monsanto, Syngenta and Dow evaluate the safety of the GMOs submitted for approval by these same companies. In 2013, 24.4 million hectares of GM crops were grown in Argentina – mostly soy, maize and cotton.

The death of a special prosecutor investigating one of the biggest unresolved mysteries in the history of Argentina, the bombing of a Jewish community center over 20 years ago, has put to the test an immature democracy that is caught up in a web of conspiracy theories and promiscuity between the secret services and those in power. […]

The past November 26th the people of the Argentinean province of Chubut, in Patagonia, were witnesses to yet another example of the limits of democracy when it comes to affecting the interests of transnational corporations. […]

The 29th National Meeting of Women (ENM) in Argentina took place this October in the city of Salta. Thousands of women from across the country met there to discuss issues of visiblizing gender inequality, gender violence, rape culture, and women’s rights violations. The history of the ENM dates back to 1986, when the first Meeting was held in Buenos Aires at a time when Argentina still did not have a divorce law and parental authority was held by the father only.

The raid took place so quickly and brutally that they didn’t have time to gather their clothes, their tools, their plates and cups, in some cases, not even their IDs. Shanty houses were demolished. Their possessions were destroyed. They are perpetual victims of a State which sends them onto the streets, denies them decent housing – or housing at all – runs them off the land without their belongings so they end up under the bridges.

On September 22, a court will begin listening to evidence against a number of ex-military officials charged with crimes against humanity, including kidnapping, torture and murder, committed at the Monte Peloni detention center in Olavarría, Argentina. The officials on trial are: the local commander, Ignacio Verdura; Chief of Intelligence, Walter Grosse; Officer Horacio Leites; and Sub-Officer Omar Ferreyra.

Argentina defaulted on its sovereign debt for the second time in 13 years on July 30, defying a U.S. court ruling and a small cabal of financial fundamentalists led by the right-wing multi-billionnaire hedge fund mogul Paul Singer. The first thing to note is that, despite repeated accusations by the vultures that Argentina is in contempt of U.S. court rulings, Argentina’s willingness to pay its debts is not in question.

Argentina has approved a proposal from Chinese Petrol Company JHP and state-owned Jujuy Mining and Energy (JEMSE) to carry out an environmental impact study on an oil-drilling project in Calilegua National Park. The park, located in the northern province of Jujuy, is one of the most bio-diverse environments in Argentina.

“Pro-government and opposition journalists defend the interests of political and advertising/corporate power. Why is that? Because they don’t question it. Why is that? Because they make their living from them. Why is that? Because they don’t care about a struggle that is unknown and alien to them. Why is that? Because almost none of the news presenters or editorialists are involved in any struggle…”